• At least three Kenyans were injured, none reported dead. About 1,100 Kenyans are reported to be living in Lebanon.
•At least 137 people died, about 5,000 were injured and scores missing.
Image: COURTESY
“I left my house to stroll in Burjhamoud town and when I was coming back, I heard the explosions,” Rashid Hamisi told the Star.
The 38-year-old was speaking from Beirut, Lebanon, his home for two years since he left Kenya to work at a marine supplies company.
“The impact was so strong that I fall down. I was 10 kilometres from my house in Beirut and would see everything going down,” he said of the massive explosion at the port on Tuesday.
“The air remained dusty. People who knew I lived in Beirut that time started calling after the explosion to ask me where I was. We had tension and a weird silence, I couldn't pick calls at first.”
"Everything in my house at the port was destroyed," he said.
About 1,100 Kenyans are known to be living in Lebanon, mostly domestic workers, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
No knowns died but three were known to be injured but were recovering, diplomats said.
The Kenyan Embassy in Kuwait has a consular office in Lebanon.
“I was sitting on the couch with my kid but found myself on the floor. The house was shaking and people were screaming all over,” one Kenyan said, asking not to be identified.
“I have lived here in Beirut for six years and have never seen anything like this. I saw people with blood and dead bodies scattered about. I never knew I would be alive the next minute during the confusion.”
The explosion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser, stored unsafely in a port warehouse has left about 140 people dead, about 5,000 injured, scores missing and property worth billions of dollars (trillions of shillings) destroyed.
Another Kenyan, Gakuria Mwinyi who works in the embassy of a South American country in Beirut said many people were injured by flying glass and debris.
“I was sitting on an office chair and typing a poem on a desktop computer but found myself on the floor. It took me like 20 minutes to understand what was going on,” Mwinyi, from Diani, said.
He added that flying doors, windows and rubble injured many people.
“I have checked on my Kenyan brothers and sisters and they are fine. I can’t give you details."
A woman who lives in Beirut said, "The pressure from the blast was so intense that most of the people were injured by flying objects." She asked not to be identified.
“The first thing we did after the explosion was to look for each other and find out their status. Some lost phones and some were so shocked that they only started picking calls on Wednesday," she said.
Image: COURTESY:
Those employed by companies said employers have ensured they have a place to sleep and something to eat.
Another group, mainly domestic workers, are at home. Some Kenyans were also living on their own and struggling make ends meet.
“This is the main group but just like others they are sleeping in open houses. No windows and doors,” a truck driver from Thika told the Star. He also didn’t want to be named, citing his contract with his employer.
“We are not allowed to speak to the media in our company. I will have breached my contract,” he said.
Hamisi said that life in Lebanon has been good.
“There is no racial discrimination and people are good. In fact, the only challenge is when you are jobless and it happens even in Kenya,” Hamisi said.
He said that the government has not reached out to them, but they are trying hard to help those in need.
(Edited by V. Graham)